Archaeologists have uncovered part of an ancient statue of a pharaoh in Egypt, who, according to many scholars, is the king mentioned in the biblical story of Moses.
The fragment is thought to depict Ramesses II, one of ancient Egypt’s most powerful rulers and a figure many historians associate with the pharaoh described in the Book of Exodus.
According to the Bible, Moses confronted a pharaoh who refused to free the Israelites from slavery, setting off the events described in the Exodus narrative.
Part of the large statue, including its legs and base, was discovered at Tel Faraoun in Egypt’s eastern Nile Delta, just northwest of the Red Sea, during ongoing excavations led by the country’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The unearthed fragment stands about seven feet tall and is estimated to weigh between five and six tons, according to officials overseeing the dig.
Although parts of the statue are worn and damaged, archaeologists said enough detail remains to link it to royal sculptures created during Egypt’s New Kingdom period, which lasted from about 1550 to 1070 BC.
Early analysis suggests the statue may not have originally been carved for the site where it was discovered.
Researchers believe it could have been transported from Pi-Ramesses, the grand royal city established by Ramesses II in the Nile Delta.
The fragment is thought to depict Ramesses II, one of ancient Egypt’s most powerful rulers and a figure many historians associate with the pharaoh described in the Book of Exodus
Ramesses II is said to be the pharaoh mentioned in the Book of Exodus that tells the story of Moses freeing the Israelites from slavery and delivering them to the Promised Land
From there, experts suspect the statue was later moved to Tel Faraoun, known in antiquity as Emet, where it may have been reused inside a temple complex.
Ramesses, who ruled from 1279 to 1213 BC, was known for his military power and strategic genius, leading an army of around 100,000 men strong.
People often identify Ramesses II as the biblical Pharaoh primarily due to Exodus 1:1, which mentions Hebrew slaves building the city of ‘Raamses’ (or Pi-Ramesses), a city famously built by Ramesses II in the 13th century BCE.
While the Bible does not explicitly name the Pharaoh, this geographical link, combined with his long, dominant reign and the timing of the 19th Dynasty, makes him a popular historical candidate, often reinforced by popular media.
While the Bible does not explicitly name the Pharaoh, this geographical link, combined with his long, dominant reign and the timing of the 19th Dynasty, makes him a popular historical candidate, often reinforced by popular media.
Officials overseeing the excavation said the fragment may have once formed part of a much larger sculptural group, possibly depicting the king alongside Egyptian deities.
Comparable discoveries at other sites have shown rulers arranged in ceremonial triads, a common feature of monumental temple art in ancient Egypt.
Archaeologists said further study of the stone, carving techniques, and remaining surface details could help pinpoint the statue’s exact origin and better understand how it was relocated across the Nile Delta.
Pictured is the excavation site where the statue was found
Part of the large statue, including its legs and base, was discovered at Tel Faraoun in Egypt’s eastern Nile Delta (pictured) during ongoing excavations led by the country’s Supreme Council of Antiquities
Many historians have long debated which Egyptian ruler may have reigned during the events described in the Book of Exodus. Ramesses II is frequently cited as a leading candidate due to references in the Bible to the Israelites building the city of Pi-Ramesses.
That ancient city, constructed during his reign, is believed to have been located in the same region of the eastern Nile Delta where the statue fragment was discovered.
Some scholars believe this geographic overlap strengthens the connection between Ramesses II and the biblical narrative of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt.
However, other historians caution that there is no direct archaeological evidence confirming the identity of the pharaoh described in Exodus.
They note that while Ramesses II remains a popular candidate, the biblical account does not name a specific ruler, leaving the question open to interpretation.
However, discoveries tied to Ramesses II continue to draw intense interest because of his prominence in Egyptian history and the long-standing debate surrounding the Exodus story.
In 2024, another team of archaeologists discovered an ancient sword in Egypt linked to the Biblical pharaoh.
The bronze blade, thought to be around 3,000 years old, has the markings of Ramesses II, hailed as the most powerful king of ancient Egypt.
The shimmering sword found in Egypt two years ago likely belonged to a high-ranking military official under the reign of Ramesses II
The sword was uncovered among the ruins of an ancient military fort in Housh Eissa, a city just south of Alexandria, which featured barracks for soldiers and storage rooms for food, weapons and other goods.
The ancient sword likely did not belong to the famous king, but likely to one of his soldiers stationed at the fort, experts said.
Elizabeth Frood, an Oxford University Egyptologist who was not involved in the dig, told The Washington Post: ‘An object to bear the cartouches of Rameses II would suggest to me that it belonged to someone of relatively high rank.
‘To be able to display such an object, even though it would have been presumably in a scabbard, was a marker of status and prestige.’
The sword was uncovered at a site called Tell Al-Abqain, which experts said was ‘a crucial military outpost.’
